Manic Depressive Disorder: An Overview
You’ve heard songs sung about it and poets expound on the horrors of it, but you may not know what manic depressive disorder is. Also called bipolar, the symptoms tend to run the full spectrum of highs and lows; both mania and feeling depressed. It is the extreme highs and lows that define this disorder as well as the severity of its symptoms. It is classified as bipolar type I and bipolar type II, with type I sufferers exhibiting the most drastic shifts in mood. People with type II generally exhibit less extreme symptoms.
The manic phases of bipolar disorder are defined by a dramatic increase in energy leading to over confidence and over activity. The patient is also commonly very talkative with a high speech rate. The ability to think rationally and to behave properly in social settings, as well as the length of their attention span is drastically lowered. This, in turn, leads to the affected person thinking about and pursuing unrealistic and many times dangerous ideas, as well as creating unintentional and embarrassing situations in public.
If bipolar disorder is left untreated, mania can develop into a psychotic state. The hypomania characteristic for bipolar type II is less destructive than the full blown mania, in that the symptoms are much less severe and typically last for a shorter period of time. The hypomania state can lead to creative outbursts as well as unusually high innovative problem solving skills in some individuals.
While some sufferers of manic depressive disorder experience only a few manic and depressive episodes during their lifetime, the opposite is true for many others who suffer from this type of depression. The rapid cycling of mania and depression is very hard to control and has a worse prognosis than other types of mood-related disorders. The use of antidepressants, interestingly enough, can have a negative effect on patients who are experiencing rapid cycles and can even induce the rapid cycling state.
It must be said that manic depressive disorder is a serious condition and arguably the worst of all types of depression-related disorders. It may be, to a large extent, genetically pre-determined, so it cannot be healed. But the condition can be alleviated and controlled through proper medical management. Those who are bipolar are advised to seek medical help as soon as possible.
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